Annual Front climbs: Mounts Wright, Fairview

Mark Hertenstein approaches the top of Mount Wright

The Bob Marshall Wilderness spreads out behind me on Mount Wright

Katie on the Fairview Mountain summit ridge

The Jones Columbine on Fairview Mountain

Townsendia daisies were in profusion on the Willow Creek/FairviewTrail

Enjoying the third Willow Creek Falls

Our Wild Montana group on the Willow Falls trail

Looking back at Fairview Mountain after having climbed it

 It's been a sort of "Kick out the Kinks," week highlighted by climbs in the Rocky Mountain Front of Fairview and Wright mountains.

I climb them annually at this time to enjoy the profusion of alpine wildflowers.

I wasn't disappointed.

I found Forget-Me-Nots, Douglasia and Yellowstone Draba on both mountains.

There was a small number of Jones Columbine on Fairview, but not on Wright, where I usually find them on the summit ridge.

Also, I was in Helena during the week and did a traverse of the mountain starting on the Prairie Trail, climbing the peak, and coming down the steep south ridge.  The highlight of that hike was finding several open blooms on the pink bitterroot, Montana's state flower, on the north saddle.

There is still some snow in the Front, a much more further back on the high ridges of the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wilderness areas.

But, it wasn't any trouble for hiking.

I was able to skirt the snow on the Mount Wright summit ridge.

The problem there was horrific wind, that made reaching the top unpleasant.

On Fairview two days later we couldn't have had a more perfect day.  Katie and I led a group of eight Wild Montana hikers to the top of that peak, where we enjoyed clear views and no wind, for a change.

The flowers were better on the Fairview trip, a 9-mile, 3,000 foot gainer.  I've never seen so many purple Townsendia daisies or glacier lilies.

The Fairview hike is particularly impressive because it includes the Willow Creek Falls, five significant waterfalls along the way on a trail that is cut through a narrow limestone canyon.  There are ancient fossils in some of the scree on the trailside.

Our skies have been clear of smoke so far.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that this continues as we approach the height of wildfire season.